RULES CONSULTATIONS

2018 Consultation on the Rules of the OIA Scheme

The consultationseeking views on the new draft Rulesof the OIA Scheme closed on 28 February 2018.

The Rules have been revised as a result of provisions in the Higher Education and Research Act 2017 (HERA 2017) which came into force in Spring 2018 and which resulted in changes to our membership.

We have also adapted the tone and style of the Rules to ensure that they are clearer and more accessible, and that they effectively communicate our purpose and review processes.

The content of the Rules remains broadly unchanged and the main changes are drawn out in the consultation document. As well as changes required as a result of the implementation of HERA 2017, we have also made minor changes to take account of judicial review judgments, and from suggestions from Chartered Trading Standards Institute, which is our auditing body as the Alternative Dispute Resolution body for higher education.

We are grateful to everyone who took the time to respond to the consultation and we have carefully considered the feedback we received. The majority of responses were positive about the changes and found the new draft Rules to be clear. We havepublished our responseto the main themes arising from the consultation responses.”